Coil handling apparatus



March 23, 1937.

F 1- 21 F/QJ l G. H. ROSE 2,074,809

COIL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 25, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l March 23, 1937. G. H? ROSE COIL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 25, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 lnveidorr 6750565 E055, 11%

Patented Mar. 23, 1937 2,014,809 COIL HANDLING APPARATUS George H. Rose, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The American 8 teel and Wire Company of v New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application September 23, 1935, Serial No. 41,807

4 Claims.

ratus and isparticularly concerned with the handling of rod bundles in a rod mill.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention:

Figure 1 is a top view of the apparatus. Figure 2 is a side view. Figure 3 is an enlarged section from the line 1II-lIi in Figure 1. v

Figures} and 5 are enlarged sections from the line IV-IV and V-V in Figure 2. Figure 6 is a section from the line VI-VI in 5.

.l lgure I5 Figure'lisawirlng diagram.

More particularly, theapparatus includes a rack I constructed to receive rod bundles 2 one at a time and position-them on their sides in at least partially upstanding positions. These so rod bundles may be delivered to the rack from a conveyer of the type including a declining apron l which terminates over the rack I and over which the rod bundles are dragged by intermittently moved dogs 4. It might be ex- 25 plained at this point that such a conveyer is usually used to carry rod bundles away from the coilers by which they are initially formed.

A second conveyer provides a series of spaced traveling hooks 5 arranged to move oppositely 80 past the rack I with theirends projecting towards the same. This second conveyer may be the usual type of hook conveyer commonly used around rod mills to carry rod bundles away from. the first described conveyer to other de- 85 partments.

An elevated trackway 8 is arranged to span the space between the rack I and the path of the traveling hooks i. 'For conveniencathis trackway may be mounted on spaced beams I 40 which may be themselves supported in any suitable manner, the details of this being omitted to avoid confusion.

. A carriage 8 rides the trackway 8. and a shaft 9 projects vertically through this carriage and 45 is journaled by the latter for rotative and vertical movements. The lower end of this shaft 9 is provided with a double-ended hook III, and its upper end has a crosshead II flxed to it above the carriage 8 so that the shaft 9 can rotate while the cross-head does not. Fluid motors I 2 are 'mounted by the carriage 8 parallel with either side of the shaft 9, and the operating rods I! of these motors are operatively connected to 55 the cross-head II. the extreme ends of the latter (Cl. 214-87) This invention relates to coil handling appasliding .on vertical guides l3 which function to uide the cross-head in'a vertical direction.

Gearing I4 isarranged on the carriage so as to rotate the shaft 9 while permitting vertical movement of the same, and a rack I5 engages 5 an element of this gearing so that reciprocation of this rack causes rotation of the shaft 9. A

fluid motor I6 is mounted by the carriage 8 and its operating rod I8 is operatively connected to the rack I5. The arrangement of these particu- 10 lar parts is such that for each stroke of the rod I 6 in either direction the shaft 9 is rotated a half-tum, and so that, the ends of the doubleended hook III on the lower end of this shaft will point toward either the rack I or the hooks 5 when the rod is at either extreme of its stroke.

Still referring to the mounting of the shaft 9 by the carriage 8 and to the driving of this shaft 9, it will be noted that this shaft is journaled in a sleeve 9 which is itself journaled by'the carria ge 8, the shaft 9 being slidably keyed to this sleeve 9' so as to permit the required vertical motion. It is this sleeve 9 which is engaged by the gearing II for the purpose of rotating the shaft 9.

An electric motor I1 is mounted at one end of the trackway 6 on a base I8 which is arranged atthe end of the beams I and likewise supported in any suitable manner. This base l8 also carries a gear box I9 which mounts cranks 20 with their axes at right angles to the traveling direction of the carriage 8. The motor I! drives the cranks 20 through the gear box I9, the armature shaft of this motor being connected to a brake 2| to provide for quick stopping. Connecting-rods 22 interconnect the cranks 20 with the carriage 8, and it is by this arrangement that the carriage 8 is moved back and forth along the trackway 8 from a position where it is over the rack I to a position where it is over the path of the traveling hooks 5. I Flexible hoses-23 interconnect-the opposite ends of the fluid motors I2 with a double-acting fluid valve 24 mounted on the inside of one of the beams I. This valve is provided with intercon- I nected operating levers M andu and the carrlage 8 is provided with a bumper 25 which contacts these two operating levers, the arrangement being such that when the bumper 25 strikes the lever 24 upon movement of the can'lage 8 in that direction the air motors I2 are powered by operation of the valve 24 to raise the shaft 9, and

so that when this bumper strikes the lever 24' fluid is admitted to the opposite ends of the motors I2 by'operation of the val e 24 so as to 2 effect lowering of the shaft 9, this latter action occurring when the carriage 8 is-moved in the other direction. Furthermore, the arrangement is such that the raising action occurs just after i one of the ends of the hook ill have entered a bundle positioned by the rack I, and so that the lowering action is effected just after a bundle carried by this hook III has been inserted over one of the traveling hooks 5, movement of the 10 book III, of course, resulting from movement of the carriage 8.

During the time the carriage is traveling from a position over the rack l toward the path of the traveling hooks 5, it is necessary to rotate the ifvshaft 9 so'that a bundle carried by either end of the hook lllcan be inserted over one of the traveling hooks. This is done by operation of the fluid motor IS, the opposite ends of this motor being connected by flexible leads 26 to amanually-controlled, double-acting fluid valve 21. Op-

eration of this valve will effect a half-tum of the shaft 9 in whichever direction is required, the valve 21 being supplied with fluid by a line 28 from which a branch line 29 leads to the valve 24.

The motor l1 and brake 2| may be manually controlled, and the operator can manually stop this motor long enough to permit him to operate the valve 21 so as to turn the shaft 9. This, however, might introduce an accident hazard, and

39 the present invention provides for the eliminathe motor l1. Soon after operation of the motor I1 is started, one or the other of the segments 33 spans the brushes u and thus maintain energization of this relay, these segments and brushes as the end of this segment is reached the holding circuit to the relay 32 is broken and the motor l1 stopped. The electromagnetic brake 2| can be connected in the usual manner-for applica-- tion every time the motor I1 is deenergized. The arrangement of the segments is such that their ends are reached every time the motor I1 is operated to such an extent as to bring the carriage I to an intermediate position on the trackway 6 regardless of its moving direction. In this manner the carriage is automatically stopped at an intermediate position so as to aflord the operator time to effect rotation of the shaft 3, restarting of the motor l1 being effected by a further manual operation of the lever 35.

Also, it is possible for the operator to manually operate the lever so as to start the motor in order to bring the hook Iloverone of the 3 traveling hooks 5 to deposit a bundle on the latter. However, here again an accident hazard is 2 introduced, it being understood that the travelhooks 5 are generally moving at a constant rate and cannot be stopped by the operator.

- !berefore, the present invention also provides for mauto'matically effecting synchronous meetings of T the hooks II and the traveling hooks 5. V

For this purpose a switch 31 is arranged in the path of the traveling hooks 5 and each of the latter is provided with a bumper 38 which closes 75 the switch 31 as it passes. This switch 31 is arbeing arranged to shunt the switch 36. As soon solenoid of the relay 32 and starts operation of ranged at the position in advance of the position which each traveling hook must occupy if the hook III on the end'of the shaft 9 is to meet it properly so as to deposit a bundle on it.

Referring again to the wiring diagram, it will be noted that oppositeoperation of the manually operable lever 35 will close a switch 39 which is in series with the switch 31.- Now whenanoperator sees one of the traveling hooks coming along-onto which he desires to load a bundle, it being assumed that the bundle is already carried by the hook It] on the end of the shaft 9 and that the latter has been rotated in the proper manner, this operator moves the lever 35 so as to close the switch 39. This will not energize the solenoid of the relay switch 32 until the switch 31 is closed by passage of this particular traveling hook. When this occurs, the relay switch is energized, the motor [1 starts and one .or the other of the segments 33 spans the brushes 34. The motor l1 then continues to operate until the end of this particular segment is reached. The apparatus is timed so that during this interval the carriage 8 is moved to a point .over the path of the traveling hooks and returned to its stopping po- I sition intermediate the ends of the trackway 6. Since the motor -I1 is initially energized at exactly the right moment, it of necessity effects a synchronous meeting of the hook Ill with the selected one of the traveling hooks 5.

A summary of the foregoing shows that operation of the apparatus described is practically entirely automatic. Thus, each time a bundle slides over the apron 3 and drops onto the rack l, the operator moves the manually operable lever 35 so as to cause the carriage 8 to advance to a position over the'rack. One or the other of the ends of the hook I0 is then within the bundle and the latter is lifted due to the admission of fluid to the proper end of the fluid motors l2 by the automatic operation of the valve 24, which occurs simultaneously due to the operation of the lever 24 by the bumper 25. The motor l1 continues to operate so that the carriage 8 is mediately moved to its intermediate position. The operator then has leisure to operate the valve 21 so as to cause rotation of the shaft 9. He then elects an advancing one of the traveling hooks and throws the lever 35 in a direction to close the switch 39. Then, as soon as 31 is closed by the advancing hook, the loading action is completed, the bumper 25 striking the lever 24 so as to operate the valve ,24 and thus eflfect lowering action of the shaft 9 during the period that the carriage 3 is over the path of the traveling hooks and before it begins its return to its intermediate position. Upon its arrival at its intermediate position the carriage 3 is again ready for action due to the fact that the lower end of the shaft 9 is provided with a double-ended hook and, therefore, need not be rotated at this time.

I claim:

l. A device for transferring coils from a rack to traveling hooks comprising an elevated trackway arranged to span the space between said rack and the path of said traveling hooks, a carriage riding said trackway, a vertically movable transfer hook rotatively depending from said carriage, means for moving said carriage along said trackway, means for effecting vertical and rotatlve movements of said transfer hook, and means responsive to movement of said traveling hooks for controlling the first named means so as toeflect the switch synchronous meetings of said transfer hook and said traveling hooks.

2. A devicev for transferring coils from a rack to traveling hooks comprising an elevated trackway arranged to span th space between said rack and the path of said traveling hooks, a carriage riding said trackway, a vertically movable transfer hook rotatively depending from said carriage,-

means for moving said carriage along said trackway, means for effecting vertical movement of said transfer hook, the second named means being responsive to movement of said carriage by the first named means to positions over said rack and over the path of said traveling hooks so as to automatically effect raising and lowering of said transfer hook and means responsive to movement of said traveling hooks for controlling the first named means so as to automatically effect synchronous meetings of said tranfer hook and said traveling hooks.

3. A device for transferring coils from a rack to traveling hooks comprising an elevated trackway arranged to span the space between said rack and the path of said traveling hooks, a

carriage riding said trackway, a vertically movable transfer hook rotatively depending from said carriage, means for moving said carriage along said trackway, means for effecting vertical movement of said transfer hook, the second named means being responsive to movement of said carriage by the first named means to positions over said rack and over the path of said traveling hooks so as to automatically eflect raising and lowermg of said transfer hook, means responsive to movement of said traveling hooks for controlling the first named means so as to automatically effect synchronous meetings of said transfer hook and said traveling hooks, means responsive to arrival of said carriage at an intermediate position on said trackway for automatically stopping operation of the first named means, means for rotating said transfer hook, and means for restarting operation of the first named means.

4. A device for transferring coils from a rack to traveling hooks comprising an elevated trackway arranged to span the space between said rack and the path of said traveling hooks, a carriage riding said trackway, a hook-ended transfer shaft projecting vertically through said carriage and journaled by the latter for rotative and vertical movement, a cross-head fixed to the upper end of saidshaft above said carriage so that said transfer shaft can rotate, fluid motors mounted by said carriage parallel to either side of said shaft and operatively connected to said crosshead, means for guiding said cross-head in a vertical direction, gearing arranged on said carriage I so as to rotate said transfer shaft while permitting vertical movement thereof, a rack engaging said gearing, a fluid motor mounted on said carriage and operatively connected to said rack, a crank mounted at one end of said trackway, a connecting-rod interconnecting said crank and said carriage, and means for rotating said crank.

GEORGE H. ROSE. 

